Sunday, 21 October 2012

Famous Faces’ Favourite Fancies - Chocolate and ginger tiffin

If you’ve turned on the television before 9.30am at any
point in time since 1984, the chances are you will have come across LorraineKelly.I did an almost comic double take when I read
that – 1984!Lorraine Kelly has been
getting up before the crack of dawn for 28 years to present live breakfast
telly...and somehow looks younger now than when she started!

Fast approaching national treasure status (if not indeed
already there) and famed for her infectious giggle, what I love about Lorraine
is her ability to do funny and serious with equal success and her warmth –
something that is often lacking in television.
Of course, the fact that she selected her favourite fancy as anything
including chocolate and ginger didn’t hurt either...a woman after my own heart!

I chose a no-bake tiffin as it seemed the best of all worlds
– biscuity, fruity, nutty, gingery and chocolaty. I think that’s enough of words ending in ‘y’! I mixed milk and dark chocolate for the
topping but you can use whichever blend you choose. Here it is before the chocolate:

The chocolate sets nice and thickly on the top and requires
a satisfying amount of pressure to bite through it, at which point you are
rewarded with a biscuity mixture of fruit and nuts. Using ginger nut biscuits adds an extra punch
of flavour but you could use plainer biscuits if you preferred. You have to love something that you can leave
a set of teeth marks in:

200g chocolate – I used half dark, half milk, but you can
use all dark or all milk if you prefer

Method

Have ready a 20cm x 13cm disposable foil tin. I bought mine in the local supermarket – there
were three in the pack and it came with a cardboard lid.

Crush the ginger nut biscuits in the food processor or using
a bag and a rolling pin. If using the
processor, pulse, because you want a mixture of crumbs and lumps of biscuit –
don’t treat it like you’re making a biscuit base for a cheesecake.

Place the butter and golden syrup in a large saucepan and
melt together, stirring occasionally so that the mixture doesn’t catch on the
bottom of the pan.

NB. When weighing out the flaked almonds give them a squeeze
in your clenched hand to crush them a little – it will make the finished tiffin
easier to cut.

Tip the biscuits into the melted butter along with the
cocoa, raisins and almonds.

Stir until well combined then press into the foil tray. Press down so the mixture feels compact.

Cover and refrigerate.

When cold and hard, make the topping: melt the chocolate
either in short bursts in the microwave (my preferred method) or in a bowl over
a pan of simmering water – take care that the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

Pour the melted chocolate over the set base and spread to
ensure an even covering.

Leave to set (no need to refrigerate but it won’t do it any
harm – just might take the gloss off the chocolate).

Lorraine Kelly has impeccable taste! I've not made a tiffin before, and have only ever eaten shop-bought, but now I've just got to try my hand at it. It was the thick,tooth-marked chocolate topping that did it for me.

Hmmm, no, don't think I've turned on the telly before 9:30 before. That could of course be because I've never had one. Lorraine Kelly is new to me, but if she's into chocolate and ginger she can't be too bad. Your tiffin looks so inviting I'm starting to get a craving.

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